


Those 1940s Boys

by angryschnauzer



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Reader with limb loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-01-31 22:15:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12691254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angryschnauzer/pseuds/angryschnauzer
Summary: When a pair of customers come into your Vintage Store you end up bonding with them because of your prosthetic arm. Over time a friendship between you grows, but that’s when things get complicated.





	1. Chapter 1

The 40s Are The Best

You set the box down onto the counter and looked around the store, smiling at the displays you’d worked on. It looked perfect and you almost wished you didn’t have to sell any of the stock, but the bills needed to be paid and vintage items were getting more and more popular.

When you had opened the thrift store cum vintage market you hadn’t really been sure what to expect, but people clamoured for the well made yet old fashioned items. They sought out both the decorative and functional, and if something didn’t work anymore it simply got moved into the ‘decor’ section.

Turning your attention back to the box in front of you, you started to unpack the cream china coffee set, the simple green trim around the edges of the plates and saucers set off with a tiny painted posy of orange flowers. As you set the final side plate down onto the counter before you started to smooth out the newspaper that it’d been wrapped in you heard the little bell above the door tinkle to alert you to customers entering the store;

“I’ll be right with you!” you called out, setting the chinaware on the side to price up.

“Thanks Ma’am” came a deep voice in reply.

A couple of moments later you made your way through the store, side stepping the displays before you came across two men standing in front of the racks that held the kitchenware.

“Look Buck, you didn’t like any of the new stuff, so I thought we’d try some of the stuff we’re used to...”

Sensing your presence both men turned, smiling at you as you greeted them;

“Hi, is there anything I can help you with?”

“We’re looking for some plates, cups, etcetera...”

You smiled at the man, taking in his mousey blonde hair and kind eyes. There was a hint of recognition in your mind but you dismissed it, just passing it off as your brain telling you this handsome man should have a place in your mind.

“How many place settings do you need?”

“Just... just a couple...” the darker haired man spoke up quietly before clearing his throat; “They need to have strong handles...”

As he lowered his gaze you followed it, and saw his metal hand;

“No problem, I’ve just had the perfect set come in”

You indicated for the pair of them to follow you to the counter, moving the partially folded newspaper to the side as you lifted the set that had just arrived onto the counter;

“This should suit you just fine... it’s a coffee set rather than a tea set. There’s six mugs which means the handles are longer. The plates have scalloping around the edge with a slight rim underneath; it means they’re easier to grip if you’re washing the dishes by hand”

The two men looked over the set and whispered between themselves, you could sense doubt in the dark haired man’s face;

“I can show you if you like?”

They watched as you pulled the white cloth gloves off that you wore when handling the stock and suppressed your slight smile as they saw your prosthetic hand. Holding the mug you slipped your fingers through the handle and wiggled them to show there was room for movement. Holding the mug out you smiled;

“Would you like to try it? It looks like your Phalanges are bigger than mine...”

You’d seen this many times before; injured veterans struggled to use modern tableware as it simply wasn’t designed for people without two flesh hands to work with. You’d helped at a party at the VA a couple of years back when their event organiser had returned to service, hired to decorate the place for a WWII party and it had been then that a lot of the injured veterans had realised that the older designs for home wares suited their needs better than modern designs. Since then you’d had a steady flow of vets through your doors, finding a lot of them became repeat customers.

Watching as the pair of men both picked up the china they excitedly talked between themselves, the dark haired one testing his metal hand with the mugs before moving onto the rest of the set. You were mesmerised by the way the smooth plates of his prosthesis worked, you’d never seen anything like it and you had considered your Myoelectric Trans Radial arm to be one of the most modern ones you’d seen.

“So... did you lose yours in Afghanistan?”

The question shouldn’t have surprised you, instead it was the clear and deep voice of the dark haired man that did, making you blink a couple of times before you processed what he’d asked. It wasn’t the first time someone had presumed you were ex military, but as you shook your head you explained;

“No... No...” you laughed softly; “I’m not a vet... I had Meningitis as a kid”

“Oh... sorry...” the man’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment

“Don’t be” you reached out, your flesh hand touching his softly; “It’s a common question and I don’t mind answering it”

Over the next hour you got chatting to the two men, finding out they were both ex military, and you could sense traces of PTSD in both of them, so adjusted your movements and gestures accordingly. Soon they relaxed and were browsing the store, excitedly choosing more items to purchase. You set the coffee pod machine into action after half an hour, letting them ‘test’ out their new tableware set. They’d introduced themselves; Steve was the blonde one, James – or Bucky as he liked to be called – was the one with dark hair.

By the time they left your store you’d boxed up almost $1000 worth of stock, ringing it through the cash register and smiling as they carefully helped you wrap the items. As they made their way to the door with armfuls of boxes and bags you dodged around them, opening the door for them, slipping some cards into the top boxes;

“These are our loyalty cards; they’ve got all our numbers and social media links on so you can follow us and see when we get new items in”

You watched as they walked down the street, smiles on their faces as they excitedly talked about their purchases.

‘What a lovely couple’ you mused to yourself as you set about unpacking the rest of the days delivery, realising you now had a lot of empty shelf space to fill.

-

Over the following weeks and months Steve and Bucky became regular visitors to your store, not always to make a purchase, instead sometimes they’d drop in if they were passing and just stay for a coffee. It came to the point where you could call them friends, enjoying time with them and able to call upon them when employees called in sick and you needed some extra muscles around the store.

The time came when they asked you one day if you would help them decorate their apartment for a 1940’s themed party they were going to throw, at which you excitedly agreed, immediately starting to plan decor and costumes, food and music. When the day came they introduced you to their friends, all greeting you with warm knowing smiles.

As you bustled around the kitchen mid way through the party you were joined by a friendly couple who introduced themselves;

“Hi, I’m Pepper. Did you need any help?”

“Thanks, I’m just trying to get the damn oven to work; I can’t seem to figure out how to switch it on”

“Oh lets have Tony take a look...”

You glanced over Pepper’s shoulder and really only noticed her companion for the first time, and when the realisation hit you as to who he was you were knocked back a little;

“You’re... you’re Tony Stark”

“The one and only” he did a mock salute as he rolled his sleeves up and started to press buttons on the Hi-tech appliance that you only then noticed held a ‘Stark Enterprises’ logo.

“What... who... but you’re an Avenger...”

He turned slowly back to you, a look of half amusement and half shock on your face;

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Who Steve and Bucky are...”

“What do you mean? They’re two veterans...”

Tony looked over your shoulder at Pepper;

“Mrs Stark, could you possibly pour this fine young lady a stiff drink?” He turned back to you; “Sit down darling, as a history expert you’re about to get your 1940’s knowledge topped up”

-

The last guest had finally left, the last plate stacked into the dishwasher, the last beer opened and sat on the countertop next to you as you rested your head against the marble surface.

“Hey Doll, you did a great job tonight”

Looking up you saw Bucky coming into the room, a stack of paper napkins in his hands;

“Umm, thanks”

You rubbed the back of your neck with your real hand, before moving it to the part of your forearm where your prosthetic attached to your arm by the suction cup. You went to pick up your beer, but as you lifted it you saw it slip through your fingers.

Bucky’s reflexes were instant, dropping the napkins and lunging for the bottle, catching it before it smashed on the floor. Setting it down onto the counter beside you he gently took hold of your arms;

“Are you ok?”

“I’m just a little sweaty, the sensors aren’t picking up the EMG activity very well” He glanced down at your arm as you spoke, his breath hitching as if he was going to say something that you picked up on; “What?”

“That wasn’t what I meant. You were fine when you arrived, but then like midway through the party you seemed to be avoiding me and Stevie... Did we do something to upset you?”

You pulled away from him;

“No. Yes. Kind of...” you took a deep breath; “You didn’t tell me you were Avengers... I felt like an utter fool when Tony Stark filled me in on that little fact. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bucky blinked a few times, surprise showing on his face;

“We... Umm... I guess we’re so used to people knowing who we are...”

He stood close, his hand resting on the part of your arm were your prosthetic was attached;

“I’m sorry. What can I do to make this up to you?”

You looked from your arm up to his face, his eyes like pools of serenity;

“You can help me get this damn arm off before my stump gets sore”

He carefully rolled the sleeve of your blouse up to expose your arm, touching the join carefully before gently removing it and setting it down onto the countertop;

“Honestly Doll, we didn’t mean to deceive you”

Bucky stood close, his flesh hand gently cradling the end of your arm. Suddenly you were hyper aware of how close he was standing, his breath warm on your face as you looked up at him and was mesmerised by the pale blue of his eyes. Your breath hitched in your throat as he slowly lowered his lips to yours, pressing into a gentle kiss.

“Hey Buck, can you gimme a hand with this table?”

Steve’s voice from the lounge interrupted the moment, Bucky pulling away and letting out a shaky breath before replying;

“Sure thing Stevie”

Watching him leave the room you blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. With Bucky out of the room you grabbed your bag and quickly made your way to the bathroom, closing the door with a loud click. Resting your head against the cool surface of the door you heard Bucky and Steve talking, Bucky offering to take the garbage down to the kerbside trashcans. Deciding you’d perhaps feel a little more comfortable if you changed out of the vintage 40’s outfit you wore and back into your sweats, you slowly started to strip, your efforts slowed by having left your prosthetic in the kitchen. Letting out a frustrated groan you cursed loudly, surprised when there was a knock at the door;

“Hey, it’s me... Steve” there was a pause; “Is everything ok?”

You stood staring into the mirror above the vanity unit, feeling drained;

“I’m... I’m stuck...”

After a moment of silence you heard Steve’s voice again;

“Can I come in?”

“Y-yeah”

The door opened a crack and Steve poked his head around the corner;

“You ok?”

You looked down at the little pearl buttons on the front of your blouse, and then held your arms up;

“I need two hands...”

He looked from where you pointed to the buttons to where your prosthetic was missing, his expression softening;

“I understand, do you need a hand” he looked up at you and his eyes went wide; “Shit! Sorry... I meant... can I help you?”

Nodding you watched as he slowly stepped forward and took the front of your blouse in his fingers, working with the fiddly little buttons. You saw how they slipped from his grasp as he cursed under his breath;

“This was a lot easier when I had smaller hands...” he muttered quietly.

Looking up at him you saw his brow furrowed in concentration;

“I didn’t realise who you were until tonight...”

He stopped, his gaze searching yours as he held onto your blouse until you looked away. When after a few moments you realised he hadn’t moved you looked up again and were surprised as he caught your lips with his.

His kiss was soft, different yet the same as Bucky’s, and it suddenly had you very confused. Pulling away you started to stutter just as you heard the door to the apartment open as Bucky returned. Grabbing your bag you dodged around Steve, running from the apartment and down the stairs, unable to process the situation and a surge of confused emotions filling your mind. As you reached the sidewalk you barely registered the sound of two voices calling after you, instead you held your hand up to hail the taxi cab that was approaching, climbing in and giving him your address.

As the cab pulled away you were able to see the driver’s mirror, seeing Bucky and Steve run into the street and watch you leave in the pale light from the streetlamp that stood outside their apartment building.

“Shit” you muttered under your breath; “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Those 1940’s Boys – part 2

You sat in the window seat of your apartment watching the rain pour down the window, your mind flitting between Steve and Bucky and trying to figure out what happened. You weren’t sure why you ran, but you had always trusted your mind and when it said to get out you did just that. What bothered you most about the whole situation was that you’d left your prosthetic arm behind in their apartment.

Tugging the blanket around your shoulders a little tighter you cursed being without your prosthetic, but managed just about enough until you figured out what you were going to do. The doorbell rang again but you ignored it, just like you had the last two times it’d rung in the last half hour. A strange noise on the wall outside your building had you leaning closer to the glass to peer out, but getting the shock of your life when a metal hand suddenly clutched the sill outside. Leaping back with a shriek you spilt your coffee on the floor, staring wide eyed as a bedraggled Bucky pulled himself up and balanced himself on his metal forearm, tapping on the glass with his flesh hand;

“Don’t suppose you could open the window Doll?”

You pulled yourself to your feet and went to did as he asked, but then remembered why you’d always hated the windows in your apartment before you’d got your prosthesis; you couldn’t open the fiddly latch with just one hand;

“I can’t!” you shouted back and held your arms up; “I need two hands”

Just then a knock came to your apartment door, whoever had been at the front door had obviously gained entry to the building

“Then answer the damn door to Stevie!”

Running across the apartment you opened the door and stepped aside as Steve walked in, smiling at you before setting various shopping bags down onto the floor and going to the window, helping a now thorough soaked Bucky in until they were both standing in your apartment dripping on your hardwood floors;

“I’ll get you some towels...”

Disappearing into the laundry closet you chewed your lip, nervous now that both men were back in your immediate presence. Returning to them minutes later you did your best to pass them the towels that you had tucked under your arm, abandoning them the moment you saw your prosthetic arm sitting on the kitchen countertop, wrapped in a clear plastic sheet to keep it dry. Tugging it from its wrapping you lifted it, pressing the sensors, pleased to see it still held some charge in the integral batteries.

Letting out a sigh of relief as you attached the prosthesis, seeing the sensors pickup the signals from your arms nerve ending. It had barely been 24 hours without it, yet you’d come to realise how much you relied on it now.

Without another word you turned on your heel and made to leave the room, two worried voices calling after you;

“Hey! Where are you going?”

Stopping and turning you smiled for the first time that day;

“The bathroom... some things are just easier with two hands”

A blush ran over Steve and Bucky’s cheeks;

“Oh”

-

You sat in the bathroom and stared into the mirror, the towel wrapped around your hair as you started to dry it acting like a warm cocoon. Finally with a sigh you got to your feet and returned to where you guests were still standing;

“Do i smell coffee?”

Bucky lifted the old fashioned coffeepot from the stove;

“Sure do Doll, i haven’t seen one of these since Steve’s mom was around”

Filling one of your small mismatched china cups he set it down onto the counter in front of you, watching as you pulled the towel from your head, your hair a mess and sticking out in all directions, but not mentioning your dishevelled state.  The air in the room was tense, as if all three of you were waiting for someone else to start the conversation. Finally you decided to take control;

“So the party...” both men shifted on their feet as if nervous; “Why didn’t you tell me you were Avengers?”

Dual sigh’s of relief filled the room as they thought over your question, only to have them sucked back in as you continued;

“And what the hell, both of you kissing me? What was that about? Did you plan that?”

“WHAT?”

“NO!”

Steve and Bucky both spoke at the same time as they looked at each other, their eyes wide and you realised they hadn’t told each other about the kisses.

“You kissed her? When?” Steve asked

“When we were in the kitchen after the party! When did you kiss her?”

“When you were taking out the trash!”

You could feel the tension rising in the room and before anything could start you stepped in;

“Perhaps if you two just sit down? It sounds like we all need to discuss this”

Looking ashamed as they realised they were having their object of their affections in the same room, the both nodded, Steve moving to lean against the countertop as Bucky pulled out a seat at the small table you had in your kitchen. Remaining where you were you clung to your coffee, hoping the warmth from the mug would ease the uneasy chills that were racing up and down your spine. You hated confrontation and the air in the room was tense;

“How... How could you not tell me about the Avengers? I thought we were friends? When Tony Stark explained it i felt so small and stupid...”

“Honest to god, we thought you already knew. We’re on the news so much that we get recognised everywhere” Steve answered, Bucky nodding in agreement.

“I don’t watch the news; there’s too much political bullshit on there” Setting your coffee mug on the counter you pinched the bridge of your nose in an attempt to quell the headache that was already forming; “Avengers aside, was the reason you two starting hanging around the shop simply to try and get in my pants? Was all the help and support just a smoke screen?”

“No, of course not!” Bucky standing from his chair and going to take your hands in his, but having second thoughts when you crossed yours arms, your body language telling him to not even try.

A tense silence hung in the air, Steve staring at the floor whilst Bucky studied the magnets that adorned your fridge. All you could focus on was the small scratch on the wrist on your prosthetic. Finally it was you that took a deep breath and was the first to speak;

“Okay...” both men’s attention snapped back to you, their eyes hopeful; “Here’s what we’re going to do...”

“Anything...” Steve uttered

“Whatever you need...” Bucky nodding in agreement

“I need you both to go. I need you to talk about this together, as the one thing i’m not going to do is come between two friends... especially two friends that it turns out have known each other for so long”

Both men stood to leave, each coming to you in turn, their movements faltering as they each struggled with what affection to show you, both in the end giving you a quick hug before leaving, closing the door behind them with a quiet click.

Alone in your apartment you looked around the empty rooms, a twist in your stomach when you realised you wanted nothing more than to share the space with a loved one.

-

The following week was quiet. And if you admitted it to yourself, lonely. Each time the bell above the door chimed your head snapped up, only to feel a pang of disappointment when you saw it was neither Bucky nor Steve. By the end of the week you had given up looking, calling out a greeting from where ever you were working, the voices that answered never the ones you wanted to hear. The weather wasn’t helping your mood. It was unseasonably cold, raining almost every day.

Thursday afternoon you were busy reorganising the spare paper rolls that went into the cash register, along with all the other assorted crap that seemed to gather underneath the sales counter when you heard the bell go, calling out a greeting but continuing to work, whoever it was hadn’t responded, but then not everyone did.  The sound of something wrapped in cellophane being placed onto the glass countertop above you made you look up, surprised when you saw a bunch of flowers, yellow roses; your favourite.

Glancing up you saw a familiar face peering expectantly at you over the counter top, and you felt your heart do a little skip;

“Bucky!”

Taking off his dark ball cap he raked his hand through his rain damp hair, smiling bashfully at you;

“Hey Doll”

You stood smiling at him for a moment before he cleared his throat;

“These are for you... they’re from both me and Stevie...”

You glanced behind him, checking the shop but not seeing his usual partner in crime;

“Where...”

“He’s on a mission. Hydra insurgents have taken an orphanage in Krakow hostage”

“Oh... Why didn’t you go...”

“It was too close to some of my old Hydra stomping ground... SHIELD worried there may be people that would still know the trigger words...”

You stood open mouthed, neither of the boys had ever been this open with you. In the last week you’d done some research, filling yourself in on both of their histories, and with the freedom of information act meaning that the full details of what happened in Vienna and the doomed Sokovian Accords act, you were up to speed on the two men’s histories.

An awkward silence hung in the air, Bucky finally being the one to break it;

“I’ll go...”

As he turned you realised the possibility you were so close to losing both of your friends from a case of words left unspoken;

“No, please don’t go. I’m sorry...” you could feel your heart in your chest, hammering to get out as Bucky stood, not moving;

“Please...” your voice was barely a whisper, the end of the word trailing off as your resolve broke and the first tear rolled down your cheek.

Without a word Bucky turned back to you, took the two steps that separated your bodies and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you to his chest as you started to sob. It was only as your tears started to ebb away did you realise Bucky was crying too. Pushing his chest you looked at him, your heart melting as you watched him wipe away the tears with the back of his real hand;

“Sorry... that wasn’t very cool of me...”

You smiled kindly at him;

“I’ll put the coffee machine on...”

The rest of the day was spent sitting on the 1930’s couch at the back of the store, chatting with Bucky as he told you tales of what it was like growing up in the 30’s in Brooklyn. Tales of what he and Steve used to get up to, of how Steve was a little troublemaker – or at least how trouble always seemed to find him – back in the day.

That was how you spent the rest of the week. Bucky would turn up early in the day, sometimes waiting outside the door to the store with a bag of pastries or muffin’s he’d picked up on his way over, other times it’d be later in the day and he’d come in quietly a couple of hours after you’d already opened. Those days it seemed he needed you more, and after a while he finally explained about his nightmares. He saved you from the details; you now knew enough of his past to understand that they wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.

It was late in the day, night time closing in after you’d flipped the little sign in the window and had locked the door did you settle back down again on the couch. Bucky sat back, relaxed and happy as you spoke animatedly about the awkward customer that you’d dealt with whilst Bucky had gone out to get sandwiches at lunch, both of you laughing as you told your tale, not knowing you had an audience.

Outside the door Steve looked in, his hand falling to his side as it held the bunch of yellow roses. He should have known, nothing much had changed in almost 80 years, the girls always went for Bucky. Walking away silently he set the flowers into a trash can, the relief he’d felt upon arriving home that afternoon safe and well after a long mission, and his eagerness to see the both of you now dissipated. Yet the feelings that he was experiencing confused him as he wasn’t quite sure who he was more jealous of for taking the other away from him; you or Bucky?

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Those 1940’s Boys – Part 3

Glancing at the clock on the wall Bucky let out a sigh;

“I’d better make a move”

“Are you sure?”  You’d enjoyed the closeness you’d shared throughout the afternoon having missed both men during the week you’d spent apart; “If you liked I could cook dinner?”

Standing and shrugging on his coat he groaned but smiled at you;

“Thank you, but I need to get home. I think Steve’s back”

Looking up you glanced at the door;

“How did you know?”

“I think I heard one of the Quinjets pass over the Hudson River a few of hours ago”

You stared at him, surprised as you hadn’t heard a thing aside from the rain that continued to fall all day before it dawned on you; Bucky’s abilities were enhanced because of the serum;

“Ah right, gotcha”

Walking him to the door you went to open it but your prosthetic slipped on the cold Bakelite handle, rattling the old mechanism.

 “Hey, let me get that for you”

Bucky leant forwards to grab the handle but you stopped him;

“No, its fine”

You grabbed the handle with your flesh hand, this time turning the knob successfully and opening the door to the elements outside. Turning back to Bucky you saw him standing on the rug, a downcast look on his face;

“I was only trying to be a gentleman...”

Your heart sank, of all the time you spent with him – and Steve – you forgot that they came from a time when opening a door for a woman was the right thing to do;

“I’m sorry Bucky... I didn’t... I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just so used to everyone coddling me because of this...” you held up your arm.

A silence hung in the air before Bucky let out a nervous breath;

“I... I’ll... umm... yeah. Okay, I didn’t think of that” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously; “Hey, if Steve’s back, did you fancy... ya’ know, grabbing some dinner tomorrow night?”

“I’d love to. Just let me know where and when”

The smile that spread over Bucky’s face made your day and as you reached up to hug him goodbye you both held each other for that second longer than was necessary. Finally you pulled apart, Bucky saying a final goodbye before ducking his head against the rain, jogging along the wet sidewalk with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

Grabbing your own coat from inside the doorway of your store you pulled it on before making your way to the edge of the sidewalk where your Street Sign stood, pulling it in for the evening when you saw a flash of yellow in the trash can that sat alongside it. Looking closer you saw a familiar design on the plastic wrapping and before you knew it you were reaching in and pulling the item out, letting out a little gasp as you saw the second bunch of beautiful yellow roses that day;

“Who would throw you away?” you spoke to yourself as you shook the rain off of the pretty blooms; “Whoever these were intended for must have done hurt the giver an awful lot to have you abandoned like this”

Tucking them under your arm you returned to your task, dragging the sign inside, not before adding the roses to the vase that the ones from Bucky contained, taking a moment to enjoy their delicate beauty before closing the store for the night.

-

It was mid morning the following day when you heard your phone ping to alert you to the arrival of a message, checking it a few moments later and smiling when you saw it was Bucky. He was suggesting a little Italian restaurant, but he and Steve could swing by the store on the way so the three of you could walk together as it was only a few blocks away.

Happily agreeing you attempted to reply quickly but the sensors on the tips of your prosthetic fingers didn’t hit the touch screen right making you curse as you fumbled to type with your flesh fingers, muttering that you would have to email the consultant that you had your tri-monthly check up appointments with the suggestion to make the fingertips touch screen compatible.

When the clock ticked around towards the end of the day you closed the store a few minutes early, flipping the sign in the window but leaving the it unlocked; knowing that Steve and Bucky would come in anyway. As you hadn’t had chance to head back to your apartment to change you checked over the small rack of vintage clothing you stocked, pulling out a blouse from the 1950’s that would go with the jeans you already wore. As you were fastening the final button you heard the little bell above the store door chime out, looking around the corner of the small office you were changing in and smiling as you saw them;

“Just a minute!”

“No worries Doll”

The deep timbre of Bucky’s voice rang out through the store, and as you walked out of the office you saw the two of them standing at the counter, Steve leaning on the glass before reaching out to gently touch one of the bright yellow roses that sat in the vase there.

“I can’t thank you two enough for those, they’re really beautiful” you smiled at them before turning to rummage through your purse and check you had everything.

“Huh?”

“Bucky bought them over yesterday...” you smiled at Steve before resting your hand on his arm; “I’m glad you two talked...”

Turning back to your purse Bucky gave Steve a friendly tap on his arm;

“See, told you I wouldn’t forget”

“Err yeah, sure Buck... I never doubted you”

Steve shifted from one foot to the other as it was Bucky that leant forwards and inspected the blooms;

“Ya’ know.... I’m sure I only got a dozen...”

You watched as he counted under his breath, shrugging as you lifted your coat to pull it on;

“Yeah there’s more... when I got the sign in from the street last night I found another bunch in the trash can... I guess whoever they were from decided the recipient wasn’t worthy” you shrugged lightly.

Bucky leant forwards and took your coat as you were struggling to pull it on;

“Please, let me help”

As you turned you missed the look that he shot Steve, knowing full well what had happened. Clearing his throat he smiled at you before stepping back;

“Shall we go? I’m starving, not sure about you Stevie?”

“Yeah... let’s go...”

Oblivious to the tension between the two men you happily made your way out of the store, locking the door behind you before making the short walk up the street, happy to see your two friends together again, unaware of the tension brewing between them.

-

Your meal was amazing; home cooked dishes that stuck to your ribs and made you regret wearing jeans, and when the dishes were cleared away from your appetisers you sat back in your chair and smiled at your companions;

“You’ve have been quiet tonight” aiming it at Steve

His eyes shot up, a look of surprise on his face. He’d not even considered that you would pick up on his brooding, but when you saw your concerning expression his features softened into a smile;

“Sorry... just kinda on wind down after the mission...”

You reached out and gently squeezed his hand;

“You know you can talk to me about that stuff... whatever isn’t off limits” you glanced at Bucky; “Bucky filled me in on a few of the gaps in my knowledge whilst you were away”

 “Yeah, he’s a good friend like that”

You missed the look Steve shot at Bucky, the waiter handing you a dessert menu that you thanked him for before turning back to your companions;

“I’m happy to have you both as friends; I missed the both of you...” Standing up you rested your napkin and menu on the table; “And if you’ll excuse me fella’s, I need to find the restroom”

“Did you want dessert?” Bucky asked

“I’ll just share a bit of whatever you and Steve have”

-

It didn’t matter where the ladies room was in the world, there was always a line. And when there was only one stall, there would be a time were you would have wait with all the other women, the noise of the hand dryer drowning out the din of the kitchen that was adjacent in the hallway of the little restaurant.

It took almost 15 minutes just to get in, out, wash your hands and dry them, plus the conversation you generally had to have with someone when they’d see your prosthetic hand. The questions ranged from polite to downright nosey, and that evening was no different, but you took it in your stride before finally walking back along the narrow hallway to the dining area before the scene in front of you had you stopping in your tracks.

It was carnage. Waiters were busying themselves with brooms and cloths, wiping spilled food and sweeping up broken china;

“What the hell?” you muttered to yourself, scanning the room for Steve and Bucky before a waiter saw you;

“The manager wants to speak to you about your _friends_ ” he growled out, nodding to an angry looking middle aged man who was attempting to calm an angry middle aged couple who had red spaghetti sauce over most of their clothing.

“Ok...”

“And you’d better get your credit card out Miss, there’s a lot of damages to pay for after their fight...”


End file.
